Do you have one of those can't miss local races? I have a few, but one of the tops is definitely the M.O.Ms Run 5k on Mother's Day in Somerville.

The wife and I have run in this race every year since moving back to Boston from Chicago. Now I wanted to make sure 2015 would be no different.

Buuuttt I had that little race called Ragnar the days before. Ummm... hmmmm! Would I be crazy enough to register for the 5k after such a crazy race?

The answer? Yes yes I would. :)

So the wife and I woke up Sunday morning and were out of the house by 8:50am. Which sounds normal unless you had about a few hours of sleep the previous nights. Before I went to bed, I said no more bagels for awhile (hello Ragnar van food). I woke up and realized we were out of my english muffins so guess what breakfast was? A bagel. BUT using light cream cheese over peanut butter made all the difference. :P

We parked in Davis Square (Somerville) and walked over to the start area. Thankfully the race has the similar setup year to year so we knew exactly where to go. We picked up our bib and tank top.

I didn't want to walk all the way back to the car (which really was like 3 minutes away) so we opted to store our tanks, wallets and car keys in a Mobile Locker Co locker (reasonable $5 fee). I felt safe putting my stuff in there since there was a locker and an employee standing outside the truck the entire time. Such a brilliant idea for bag check.

Once our goods were secured, we headed over to get our IDs checked. I was psyched to see a chocolate milk booth on-site for post-race refreshments. Score!

I love this line and the fact that it is all local to Somerville. I have a "I like your pace" shirt so I needed to add this cute new pullover to my collection.

It is wicked soft!

After finally getting our wristbands so we could enjoy post-race beer (priorities), we ran into friend and fellow Slumbrew Happy Sole Frank.

The kids run - aka a 0.1 mile of adorableness - took place at 9:30am. The walkers kicked off at 9:45am and finally the 5k runners lined up in time for a 10am start.

I really had no idea what my legs would have in them since I had posted faster paces than expected during my three legs of Ragnar.

But the gauntlet had been thrown for me to try and beat my teammate Don's 5k time from Ragnar. Don had PRed his second leg - a 5k - with a time of 23 minutes. Okay okay! That number stuck with me from the moment I got to the race through the Finish Line chute.

The weather was getting hotter. The sun was shining. I was feeling thirsty. But I focused on the race and was opened to slowing down if the body needed me to.

Now the course is the same every year so I know it is hillier than my other local races so I had to take that into account.

The horn sounded and we were off.

I bobbed and weaved past some moms with strollers so I could get into a nice lane and limiting the chance of me tripping over a stroller. Which is bound to happen with my clumsy self.

We headed out on Summer Street before taking a left on to WIllow Ave and a quick right on to Highland Ave. Now Highland Ave is one of those streets that has the gradual climb that normally walking you may not notice, but when you are running up it you definitely do! :P You know what I mean?

Mile 1: 7:18

Hot damn self!! Hot damn. Did NOT expect that. But when I have a goal in mind, I will definitely give it my all.

But guess what? The inclines would be getting more intense during Mile 2. Ummm yay?

Before taking the turn off of Highland Ave at Somerville High School, I had to snap a selfie to send to my teammates who were all cheering me on while having a leisurely brunch on the Cape.

Accompanying text to team: "Where's my freakin' support van?"

It may look like I have gum in my mouth - nope just some awkward teeth smile action. Ummm sweet?

Just after snapping/texting this pic, it was time to take a right on to Vinal Ave and soak up some shade. Ahhh that was glorious. I also opted to grab a water from the water stop and basically splash my face with it. I thought about trying to actually sip, but in the moment thought that just throwing it at my face would be an easier way to get water in my mouth. Well, that wasn't really a smart idea since all the water just went all over my face. Either way I was cooled so success there.

With a bit of a downhill, I tried to take advantage of that time to recover a little since I knew another hill would be meeting us on Summer Street. We hit the bottom of Vinal Ave, I thanked the volunteers we passed and it was on to Summer Street.

I actually never saw the Mile 2 marker.

Mile 2: 7:24

I definitely expected a slower mile on #2 since there was more incline than Mile 1. This led to me trying to play the "pace game" in my head to see if I could still beat Don's 23:00.

The great thing in this race is what goes up must come down. So the race ends on a glorious decline. Score!

I knew to look out for the church on Summer Street since that sort of signifies the end of the climb and the start of the decent.

I almost kissed the ground at that point as my body was ready to be done. Like the legs were over running. Ha.

I glanced down at my Garmin and had 1/2 a mile to go. I focused solely on spotting the Mile 3 marker. I wasn't about to miss that. Actually I didn't even have to since I could see the Finish before the Mile 3 marker. So I refocused on the Finish Line mat.

There also may or may not have been someone just in front of me that I was ready to pass.

Mile 3: 6:53

Now holy cow folks! That is a sub 7 min/mile. This may be like the second time ever I've seen a sub 7 min/mile. I didn't know that this happened until AFTER I crossed the Finish Line. Otherwise I would've been jumping for joy over the line.

I know that most of the final mile was on the downhill, but I still want to celebrate it! I still ran it.

FINISH TIME: 22:02

Folks this was freakin' 3 seconds slower than my PR (21:59). Are you kidding me? I seriously wish I had paid a little more attention to my pace because I would've kicked it up a notch. Okay really I don't know where I could've done that, but I can pretend. ;)

The volunteers asked if I was a mom so that they could give me a Finish carnation, but I let them know I am only a Fur mom. I grabbed a water then headed back to the Nesquik tent to grab some low-fat chocolate milk.

Ohh yeah I saw my buddy!

Ohhhh that hit the spot. Now that I had water and chocolate milk - it was time for beer!

mmm this Harpoon IPA hit the spot!

While I was chatting with some other friends, the wife came up after finishing. Yes I totally blanked on waiting at the Finish Line for her, which I had done every other year with a water. Can I blame the #VanBrain? I am totally doing that AND feel totally bad. She kicked butt finishing in just over 42 minutes.

Once we were both done, we got in line for the delicious post-race spread. I got the bbq and pizza, but missed the ice cream table though. Oops!

After chatting and eating, we headed over to see the official results. It was at that time that I had confirmation of my 22:02 finish AND that I placed in my age group! Whhaaa???

I never place! This was surprising!! So I wandered up to the DJ area and asked if I got something for second place and they said yes! Ahhh I actually got to take part in the awards ceremony.

How awesome? I was so caught off guard, but so excited. Now I know it happened because a lot of the Somerville Road Runners (local running club) weren't there. BUT as my wife reminded me: I showed up that day so that is what I need to focus on. I need to stop trying to explain or take away my own accomplishment.

With a grin from ear to ear, we headed home so I could take another nap. I also needed to make sure this whole thing wasn't a dream!

Overall, this was another fabulous M.O.M.'s Run and I cannot wait to be back next year!

Weight Off My Shoulders

My name is Dani and I am blogging out of the Boston Area. I started this blog in May of 2011 after suffering a back injury and subsequent back surgery in December 2011-January 2011. This space was to serve as a way for me to release the inner feelings I was carrying around and maybe help some other people going through similar situations: eating disorders, depression, weight loss and more.

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